Field Hockey Receives At-Large Bid to NCAA Tournament

CARLY CAO ’20 STAFF WRITER
Trinity Field Hockey had a bittersweet end to their postseason with a thrilling overtime win against Williams in the NESCAC tournament semifinals and an unfortunate fall to Middlebury in the championships the next day.
Co-Captain Kelcie Finn ’18 started the game against Williams strong with a goal just three and a half minutes into the first half of the game. The half slowed down but the Bantams kept their strong start, adding to the lead 15 minutes later with sophomore Nicole Quinlan ’20 firing the ball to rookie Ellie Tate ’21 who then gave Finn the perfect setup to finish the play. Trinity goalie Lori Berger ’18 made several successful saves through Williams’ scoring opportunities. The half finished with a safe 2-0 lead by Trinity.
Despite the lead, Williams came back to the second half strong and pulled through with a goal three minutes into the half by Alex Bennet, assisted by Hannah Goodrick. The Williams duo linked again 22 minutes later for another goal, which whipped past Berger. The game evened out for a while, and the Bants managed to stall a late Williams flurry, sending the game into overtime.
Just over a minute into overtime, freshman Kendall Brown ’21 found Finn in the middle of the field and assisted Finn in the winning goal. Finn completed her hat trick, sending Trinity to the championships with a victorious win against the Ephs.
The championship game against Middlebury was challenging, but the Bants put up a fight. The Panthers scored four times in the first half, keeping Trinity on their toes. Middlebury’s Grace Jennings found the ball seven minutes into the first half and attempted to put the ball away, but Berger stopped the ball. However, Middlebury’s Molly Freeman took the rebound and finished the goal. The Bantams had a chance to close the gap, but despite Finn’s efforts, Middlebury’s goalie Abby Furdak deflected every shot. Middlebury Captain Annie Leonard closed the first half with two goals five minutes apart. The quick lead by Middlebury was an alarming end to the first half.
Fifteen minutes into the second half Molly Freeman scored another goal for the Panthers, giving them a shocking 0-5 lead. Trinity attempted to end the shutout when Brown dribbled the ball down the field and passed it to Finn, but the play was interrupted by Middlebury’s defender Olivia Green who preserved the sweep.
Trinity’s efforts carried throughout the regular season as well as the NESCAC tournament. With the championship title just out of reach, it is an unfortunate and disappointing end to their NESCAC campaign. The Bantams end with an impressive 12-6 record, which earned them an at large bid to the NCAA DIII National Tournament in Indianapolis, IN. Trinity faces off against Gwynedd Mercy College in the first round on Wednesday, November 8.